


Safe

by missema



Series: Stolen Hearts [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Crush, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Longing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-11
Updated: 2012-08-11
Packaged: 2017-11-11 21:48:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/483244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missema/pseuds/missema
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A budding relationship between a Nord DB and Karliah at the end of the Thieves Guild questline.  </p><p>Originally a kmeme fill for F!DB and Karliah to find comfort in each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe

There was something about Nightingale Hall that Lucy liked, but the thief never really could say what it was.  She spent a lot of time there, more than was strictly called for, sitting and talking with Karliah, getting to know her fellow Nightingale.   
  
Perhaps it was because she'd started out by shooting her to save her life or because they both saw Mercer's treachery, but she was fond of Karliah in way she couldn't claim with anyone else in Skyrim.  Skyrim was her home, but Lucy often felt alone here, the land foreign to her after her family had spent so much time in the Imperial City.  Still, she felt as if she weren't meant to be any place else, and it wasn't just because of the dragons roaming around the horizon, calling to her kindred soul.  
  
Lucy walked into the room where she knew she'd find Karliah, sitting at the table, tinkering with whatever poison or arrow design she was testing out that day.  Though the cave was a little on the dank side, it was still much better than the Ragged Flagon, which was still a sewer, no matter how many vendors set up shop there.  It felt less like a cave in here and more like sanctuary, someplace to be safe, which is why she told herself she slept here from time to time.  It wasn't because she longed to be near Karliah, to wake up to the brush of lips pressed against her own, or just to hear her speak.  
  
"Hello Lucy, staying here again?"  Karliah asked when the Nord woman came into view.  She'd been completely silent as she approached, and seeing her in the form fitting black of the Nightingale uniform was the only way to detect her presence.  
  
"I thought I might.  Been on the road too long, I think."  Lucy replied softly.  "And I miss company."  
  
Karliah smiled, though it was invisible behind her mask.  "I'm not sure I'm good company, but you're welcome to stay, as always.  I'm glad...glad you're back."  
  
The words gave the air a kind of tension that didn't usually crop up between the two of them, and it gave Lucy pause.  Maybe she was imagining it, but she felt as if Karliah had paused, broken off before she finished her sentence and wanted to say something else.  The Dunmer offered no more words, and Lucy went over to help herself to food without asking, feeling the fatigue in her muscles catching up to her.   
  
Lucy ate without trying to make conversation with Karliah, but the tension still remained between them.  Whatever it was, it filled the room and made the cavern uncomfortable for the first time since she'd ever visited.  It still hung there as Lucy retired, and she laid back in the ramshackle bed, thinking of Karliah.  
  
Like a ghost she appeared at the foot of the bed, still dressed in her Nightingale armor. "It's only when you're here do I feel really safe." Karliah's voice said softly, and Lucy felt the gentle shift of weight that meant she'd joined her on the bed. "Part of me still fears Mercer, as irrational as that is, and I miss Gallus."  
  
"That's understandable." Lucy said, sitting up. Understandable maybe, but still disappointing to her. "You were alone for a long time, and it must have been hard, the last thing you saw before your life went haywire was Mercer killing the man you love."  
  
Karliah unfastened the mask that hid her face, and Lucy marveled at the pretty blue of the eyes that sparkled even in the dim light. It would be so easy to reach over and kiss her, to comfort her and spill her secrets, but Lucy did nothing, just sitting with Karliah in the semi-darkness. Eventually Karliah's hand crept out, and she held Lucy's hand in her own, neither women speaking.  
  
After more than a few minutes in silence, Lucy gathered up her courage and spoke again. "Would you like a hug?" She asked tentatively. It seemed a silly thing to ask, but she really didn't like to intrude into the space of others, especially guild members.  
  
"I'd like more than that." Karliah admitted with a shaky laugh, "But for tonight, a hug is a good place to start. I'm not sure I'm ready for anything more honestly."  
  
"I'm so glad. I thought maybe I was imagining it."  
  
"Not imagining it, but I might have been sending conflicting signals. It's been a long time since anyone cared for me."  
  
"It's alright." Lucy embraced her, taking the tiny Dunmer in her arms and holding on. "We can talk about anything you want, even Gallus. We can work through it together." She said soothingly. Karliah rested her head against Lucy, slumping gratefully into the woman. Her petite body was so warm and responsive, Lucy wondered when the last time anyone had even hugged Karliah was. Probably twenty-five years ago. The thought saddened Lucy, knowing just how awful such isolation could be.  
  
They sat like that, in the guttering light of a candle, holding each other. Occasionally, Lucy would stroke Karliah's hair, but she didn't move to kiss her, despite her want. It wasn't the time for that, not yet. It was enough to just be with her, to know that somewhere within all the conflicting feelings and fear, Karliah wanted her. Anything more could come later, for tonight it was good enough just to hold Karliah.


End file.
